Headset for presenting video and audio signals to a wearer

ABSTRACT

A headset for operably disposing speakers and a visual display on the head of a wearer. The headset includes a beam extending over the vertex of the head for contacting the brow at one end and cooperating with a nape strap on the posterior end for adjusting the fit. Rigid arms extend from the posterior end adjacent the head to terminate in the vicinity of the ears. The arms include compressible compensators to substantially accommodate any size head therein. A visor is pivotally connected to the support beam adjacent the brow piece. The attachment of the visor to the support beam permits the visor to be disposed in a donning position away from the face or an operable position adjacent the face, without requiring a weight bearing surface on the face.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to headsets, and more particularly, to aheadset for noncircumferentially contacting the head to operably suspenda visual display in front of the eyes, and locate speakers adjacent theears, wherein the headset is sufficiently coupled to the head to readilytransmit rotational torque from the head to the headset on threemutually perpendicular axes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While the software creating virtual reality has continued to improve,there still exists a need for physically presenting a visual display andaudio signals to the user. Such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No.4,952,024 which disclosures center rib headset. Alternative, deviceshave employed a helmet which includes a mounted visor which reflectsprojected light to present a display to the wearer. Headsets have alsoemployed a headband assembly having a headband with an adjustable claspfor adjusting the circumference of the headband to accommodate varioushead sizes as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,731. Although the priordevices suitably locate the visual display and audio signals in theappropriate locations, during extended wearing time the headsets maygenerate substantial discomfort on the weight bearing surfaces on theuser.

In addition, virtual reality technology includes motion sensors whichdetect motion of a headset. Headsets must accurately track the movementsof the wearer. This tracking requires a coupling of the headset to thehead. Prior mechanisms to couple the headset to the head have includedcircumferential engagement with the head or fully enclosing helmets. Thecircumferential engagement constricts the head and induces discomfort,and full helmets are relatively heavy and retain excessive heat.

Therefore, the need exists for a light weight headset which operablypresents a visual display and audio signal to a wearer without inducingpainful pressure points during extended periods of use. The need existsfor a headset which can effectively couple with the head withoutrequiring substantial enclosure of the head. The need further exists fora headset which can translate a slue rate of the head to the headsetwithout significant lag or delay.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The headset of the present invention includes a curved support beamwhich extends substantially over the vertex of the head from an anteriorend to a posterior end. The anterior end includes a brow piece forcontacting the brow of the wearer. The posterior end terminates at theback of the head, above the junction of the neck and head. An armextends forward from the posterior end to extend along each side of thehead to terminate adjacent the ear. Each arm includes a speaker and acompensator cushion. The compensators offer sufficient resiliency totransmit torque from the head to the headset. A nape strap extendsacross the rear of the headset to dispose a portion of the back of thehead between the posterior end of the beam and the strap. The strappermits adjustment of the distance between the strap and the brow piece,thereby accommodating various size heads.

A visual display is pivotally attached to the beam above the brow pieceto be movable between an operable position in front of the eyes and adonning position spaced apart from the eyes. A visor may house thevisual display and is therefore movable between the donning and theoperable position.

The present construction permits the noncircumferential engagement ofthe head to operably suspend the visual display with respect to theeyes. That is, there is no weight bearing contact between the nose andthe cheeks and the visual display, the visor or even the headset.

The present configuration accommodates various head sizes by thecooperation of the brow piece and the nape strap in connection with thecompensators on the arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the headset with the visor in theoperable position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the headset in the donning position;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the headset in the operableposition;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the headset with the visor in theoperable position;

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view showing the headset operablydisposed on the head;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevational view showing the visor in the donningposition;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the shell; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the shell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the headset 10 of the present invention includesrigid shell 12 having a support beam 20 and a pair of rigid arms 60, 80extending from the support beam, wherein a visor 120 is pivotallyattached to the support beam.

Preferably, the shell 12 is of a one piece construction of a plasticsuch as ABS or molded polymer. It is understood the shell 12 may bemanufactured as a number of individual component parts which areassembled or bonded to form a substantially rigid one piece unit.

The support beam 20 extends from an anterior end 22 adjacent the browover the vertex of the head to terminate at a posterior end 24 adjacentthe occiput, or above the articulation of the skull and the spine. It isbelieved this is adjacent or at the occipital protuberance. The supportbeam 20 is a rigid piece and may include a single strut or a pair ofstruts which extend adjacent each side of the vertex of the head. As thesupport beam 20 acts as a single unit, there are no adjusting mechanismsor articulations in the beam. Referring to FIGS. 1-8, in the singlestrut configuration, the beam 20 has a width of approximately 2.6inches. The posterior end 24 of the beam 20 terminates at the occiputabove the articulation of the neck and the skull. Specifically, theposterior end 24 terminates adjacent to or above the occipitalprotuberance. Therefore, the head may be tilted rearwardly (or upwardly)and contact between the beam 20 and the neck or back is substantiallyprecluded.

The anterior end 22 includes a brow piece 30 for contacting the brow ofthe wearer. As used herein, the brow is defined as the area of the headextending from the supra orbital arch to include the frontal eminence.That is, the area above the eyebrows and below the hair line. The browpiece 30 has a width substantially equal to the inter pupil distance.The brow piece 30 extends from the support beam 20 to the flare to itsfull width. The brow piece 30 defines an area having a width ofapproximately four inches, and a height of approximately one inch. Thisrelatively large contact area distributes the contact force over asufficient area to reduce pressure induced discomfort.

The inside surface of the support beam 20 and brow piece 30, that is,the portion of the shell 12 that contacts the head, may include a foampadding 26. The foam padding 26 may be permanently attached to the beam20. Alternatively, the padding 26 or portions thereof, may be releasablyattached to the beam 20 by hook and loop fastener or other releasabledevices.

A rigid arm 60, 80 extends from the posterior end 24 to extend alongeach side of the head. That is, the arms 60, 80 and the beam 20 are anintegral unit free of relative movement or adjustment. The arms 60, 80extend at a slight incline to accommodate the posterior end 24 of thesupport beam 20 being adjacent the occipital protuberance and spacedfrom the neck. That is, the posterior end 24 is slightly above the earsof the wearer. In addition, the junction of the arms 60, 80 and the beam20 locates a substantial portion of the mass of the headset 10 behindthe ears. The arms 60, 80 may include a window or vent 61, 81respectively to permit ambient air to circulate to a correspondingportion of the head, and extend to terminal ends generally aligned withthe ears. The arms 60, 80 define an arcuate contact area around the backof the head defined by a diameter of approximately 7.5 inches. Theterminal ends of the arms 60, 80 are sufficiently spaced apart to permitvirtually any sized head to be disposed therebetween. The inner surfaceof the arms 60, 80 which house the speakers are approximately 8.6 inchesapart. The shell 12 is sized so that each arm 60, 80 is spacedapproximately 1.1 inches from the respective average ear.

A nape strap 40 extends between the arms 60, 80 near their intersectionwith the posterior end 24 and is located to dispose a portion of theocciput and preferably, the occipital protuberance intermediate theposterior end of the beam 20 and the strap. The nape strap 40 extendsbetween a mount on each arm 60, 80. The mount is intermediate thesupport beam 20 and the terminal end of the respective arm. The napestrap 40 may pass across the top of the neck or spine or the base of theskull. However, as the nape strap 40 is flexible, movement of the headrelative to the spine is not encumbered. Preferably, the nape strap 40is a flexible padded material and its length may be adjusted byoverlapping hook and loop fastener sections.

The visor 120 is pivotally attached to the support beam 20 about ahorizontal axis and is movable between the first substantiallyhorizontal donning position and second substantially vertical operableposition. Therefore, the weight of the visor 120 and visual display 140is borne by the support beam 20, and as the support beam is rigid andseats by gravity (rather than constriction of a circumferential contact)pressure points are reduced. The connection point of the visor 120 tothe beam 20 is above the brow piece 30, thereby reducing any torque ofthe headset 10 about the brow piece. Specifically, as the support beamcurves 20 rearwardly along the vertex of the head from the brow piece30, the location of the weight bearing point between the support beamand the visor 120 is substantially vertically aligned with or evenslightly rearward of the brow piece 40. That is, a vertical lineextending downward from the pivot intersects the brow piece 30. Byvertically aligning the weight of the visor 120 at or adjacent the browpiece 30, the tendency of the brow piece to be urged against the brow bythe visor is reduced. By precluding the torque, horizontal pressure fromthe brow piece 30 is minimized. While the visor 120 is shown as movablebetween a donning position and an operable position, this visor may befixed in the operable position. Although this complicates donning theheadset 10, movement of the visor 120 is not necessary. In the operableposition, the visor 120 does not form a weight bearing contact with theface.

The visor 120 includes or may be defined by a visual display 140 forpresenting an image to the eyes. The visual display 140 may be any of avariety of displays including but not limited to LCD and projections. Avisual display includes 3-D stereoscopic imaging with two full colorLCD's with high resolutions and contrast 789 ×230 images, wherein theLCD's are 0.7 inch color liquid crystal displays having a 10.6 mmvertical picture size and a 14.3 mm horizontal size. While each eyeviews different images, both eyes cooperate to provide a field of depth.The visual display 140 may include a single image or a pair of images asshown in the figures. The visual display 140 may be vertically andhorizontally displaced relative to each other or the visor 120. Thevisual display 140 presents substantially the entire field of view tothe wearer.

The visor 120 generally conforms to the face in the operable position.That is, the visor 120 extends from in front of the eyes to wrap asufficient distance around the head to terminate behind the eyes. Thevisor 120 includes a front surface 122 which extends about the face toterminate behind the eyes. The visor 120 includes an upper deck 124sized to be adjacent the brow, thereby seating about the brow piece 30and subsequently precluding ambient light from above contacting theeyes, without forming a weight bearing contact with the wearer. Thevisor 120 also includes a lower deck 126 sized so that upon operableorientation of the visor, the lower deck is sufficiently spaced from thewearer to permit vision with the ambient environment. The lower deck 126terminates adjacent the nose in the operable position of the visor 120.

The visor 120 may house the visual display 140 for motion between thedonning and the operable position, or may be substantially integratedinto the visual display so that the components are inseparable. That is,the visual display 140 may be configured such that only the visualdisplay is suspended from the brow piece 30, rather than within a visor120. The visual display 140 then functions as the visor 120 with respectto shielding from the ambient light environment.

Speakers 150 are located in the terminal ends of the arms 60, 80 to beadjacent the respective ears. Preferably, the speakers 150 are highquality stereo speakers which may utilize signals from any standardstereo sound card. Each speakers 150 cooperates with a compensator 160.The compensator 160 is a resilient, deformable member which acts as aspring to urge respective contact with the head.

The compensator 160 includes an open cell foam base 162 enclosed in afabric or plastic cover, the speaker 150 is seated in the base 162 and acontact ring 164 attached to dispose the speaker intermediate of thecontact ring and the arm. The contact ring 164 is also a resilientlycompressible foam member which may be permanently or removably attached.Removable attachment includes releasable adhesives, hook and loopfasteners or mechanical friction fits.

In the compensator 160, the foam base 162 and covering form a bellowswhich vents air during compression. The venting of the air throughlimited ports allows the compensator 160 to initially substantiallyresist a compressive force while yielding over the span of a fewseconds. The compensators 160 presented to the ears of the user areformed of an open cell foam covered with cloth to form the bellows, andhave a thickness of approximately 1.5 inches, with a diameter ofapproximately 41/4 inches. Therefore, the combined thickness of thecushioning presented to the ears is approximately 3 inches. Thethickness of the compensator 160 allows the rigid fixed arms toaccommodate a wide variety head sizes.

Specifically, the sizing of the shell 12 and compensators 160 isselected to accommodate approximately 95% of the population within therigid, fixed shell. The head dimensions and percentile of theencompassed population is shown.

    ______________________________________                                        Percentile                                                                              Width        Length  Depth                                          ______________________________________                                        Adult Male                                                                     2.5%     5.71         6.81    8.50                                            5.0%     5.77         6.87    8.20                                           50%       6.10         7.20    8.70                                           95%       6.43         7.63    9.20                                           97.5%     6.50         7.71    9.29                                           Adult Female                                                                   2.5%     5.31         6.30    6.69                                            5.0%     5.38         6.38    6.81                                           50%       5.71         6.81    7.28                                           95%       6.10         7.14    7.72                                           97.5%     6.18         7.20    7.72                                           Male Child                                                                     2.5%     5.39         7.13    7.01                                            5.0%     5.39         7.13    7.01                                           50%       5.67         7.64    7.36                                           95%       5.94         8.23    7.72                                           97.5%     5.94         8.23    7.72                                           ______________________________________                                    

where depth is the vertical distance from the chin to the top of thehead width is the horizontal distance between the ears; and length isthe horizontal distance from the nasal cartilage to the back of thehead.

As the distance between the portions of arms 60, 80 that house thecompensators 160 is approximately 8.6 inches, the total of 3 inches ofcompensator thickness allows the head to accommodate head sizes down awidth of less than six inches.

The compensators 160 contact an area of the head that is greater thanthe area of the ears. Specifically, the contact ring 164 encircles theear, rather than pressing the ear against the head. The increasedcontact area again distributes the contact force over a large area. Inaddition, the compensators 160 are partially compressed upon the headsetbeing disposed on the head, such that further compression issufficiently resisted so as to transfer slue (torque) from the head tothe headset without a significant delay. The compensators thereby assistin coupling the headset 10 to the head.

The inside of the shell 12 may include selectively inflatable bladders90 for sizing the headset 10 to the individual head and coupling theheadset to the head. Specifically, the compensator 160, padding 26 onthe support beam 20 and brow piece 30 may include independently orcommonly controlled bladders 90. The bladders may be filled pressurizedor ambient air by the user. Alternatively, the bladders may be fluidlyinterconnected so that donning the headset redistributes the fluidbetween the bladders 90.

The thickness and walls of the shell 12 are formed such that uponinclusion of the visual display 140, speakers 150 and associated wiringand connectors, the center of gravity of the headset 10 lies on a lineextending substantially between the speakers (the ears of the user). Theweight of the headset 10 is balanced between the anterior end 22 and theposterior end 24 of the support beam 20. In addition, the shell 12 andhardware are symmetrically balanced so that the left side and the fightside are of substantially equal mass and the center of gravity isequally spaced between the arms 60, 80. Preferably, the hardware isintegrated into the shell 12 such that the shell alone has a center ofgravity lying on a line between the terminal ends of the arms 60, 80.However, it is understood the shell 12 may be formed to accommodatedifferent loading patterns of the hardware.

The amount of material in the shell 12 adjacent the posterior end 24 andthe junction of the arms 60, 80 to the support beam 20 creates asufficient mass such that upon orientation of the visor 120 (and visualdisplay 140) in the horizontal donning position, the headset 10 does notrotate about the head.

The headset 10 includes standard input connectors for receiving visualand audio signals from a computer or other processor units.

Operation

The headset 10 is disposed over the head so that the brow piece 40contacts the brow and the posterior end 24 of the beam 20 is at theocciput adjacent the occipital protuberance. The nape strap 40 extendsacross the joint of the neck and the skull. Upon selective adjustment ofthe nape strap 40, the distance between the brow piece 40 and the napestrap is varied thereby accommodating different size heads.

In the donning position, the visor 120 is tilted to be horizontal. Theheadset 10 may be placed on the head and removed from the head. The userhas an unobstructed forward view. The weight of the headset 10 isdistributed along the support beam 20. The visor 120 may be rotateddownward to the operable position locating the visual display 140 beforethe eyes. As the visor 120 and visual display 140 are pivoted from thesupport beam 20, they are suspended in the operable position whichdisposes the visual display before the eyes. As there is no weightbearing contact between the visor 120/visual display 140 and the face(including the nose and cheeks) the weight distribution remains alongthe support beam 20 and is independent of the position of the visor. Inthe operable position, the lower deck 126 of the visor 120 is spacedfrom the face by a sufficient distance so that the user can cast theeyes downward away from the visual display 140, and immediately view theexternal or ambient environment. That is, the visor 120 is configured topreclude substantially enclosing the users eyes. While the upper deck124 may contact the brow, it is not a weight bearing contact.

The compensators 160 are each compressed to provide a snug fit againstthe side of the head. In addition, as the compensators 160 are oversizedto enclose the ear and the surrounding portion of the head, the pressureis distributed over a larger area, rather than just the ear. Thecompensators 160 are sufficiently compressed and offer sufficientresiliency so that upon rotation of the head about any axis, orcombination of axes, the slue rate of the head is transferred to therigid shell 12.

That is, the compensator 160, brow piece 30 and nape strap 40sufficiently couple the headset 10 to the head such that a slue rate ofthe head is sufficiently transferred to the shell 12 so that motion ofthe shell may be monitored to provide a signal corresponding to themotion of the head. The coupling between the headset 10 and head isaugmented by the bladders 90 located on the inside of the shell 12.

The contact between the headset 10 and the head through the rigid arms60, 80 compensators 160 and posterior end 24 of the support beam 20primarily couples the headset 10 to the head as the head may be rotatedin a horizontal plane left and right.

As the posterior end 24 is arcuate and the brow piece 30 extends acrossa relatively large width of the brow, the support beam 20 not onlycouples the headset 10 to the head in forward and rearward motion, butalso assists in coupling as the head turns left and right as well asside to side.

The combination of the generally U-shaped contact between the head and(a) the support beam 20 (the closed end of the U extending along thevertex) and (b) the U-shaped contact of the arms 60, 80 and theposterior end 24 of support beam 20 (the closed end of the U beingslightly inclined but generally horizontal and extending around theocciput of the head) sufficiently couples the headset 10 to the head sothat monitoring motion of the headset accurately reflects in real timecorresponding motion of the head. That is, the arms 60, 80 form a secondsubstantially U-shaped engagement of the head and the support beam 20forms a first substantially U-shaped engagement with the head, whereinthe second U shaped engagement is rotated 90° about two axes from thatof the beam.

The reduced weight of the headset 10, adjustment of the nape strap 40and the compression of the compensators 160 sufficiently couple theheadset 10 to the head so that upon a slue rate imparted in the head,the headset experiences a substantially equal slue rate. Without theoptics and speaker hardware, the present headset 10 has a weight ofapproximately 1.2 lbs. 20 oz. (580 g).!

The combination of the nape strap 40, brow piece 30 and compensators 160allows the shell 12 to be a rigid one piece construction, free of anyadjusting mechanism. The non adjustable shell 12 reduces the number ofmoving parts and permits a durable construction. Further, the use of arigid vertex oriented support beam 20 and the arcuate segment formed bythe arms 60, 80 allows the headset 10 to operably engage the headwithout requiring circumferential contact or circumferentialconstruction.

In addition, the present headset 10 may be employed with programs whichinteract with the orientation of the head. Therefore, a virtualorientation system (a sourceless tracking device that monitors movementof roll, pitch and yaw) may be included in the headset in the posteriorend of the beam.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed with particularity, it will be appreciated that variouschanges and modifications may suggest themselves to one having ordinaryskill in the art upon being apprised of the present invention. It isintended to encompass all such changes and modifications as fall withinthe scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A headset for engaging a head of a wearer,comprising:(a) a rigid support beam curved to fit the head between ananterior end having a brow piece for contacting a brow of the head and aposterior end (b) a first speaker; (c) a rigid left arm extending fromthe posterior end to extend anteriorly and along a left side of the headto locate the first speaker adjacent a left ear of the wearer; (d) asecond speaker; (e) a rigid right arm extending from the posterior endto extend anteriorly and along a right side of the head to locate thesecond speaker adjacent a right ear of the wearer; and (f) a visualdisplay attached to the support beam such that in an operable positionthe visual display is suspended from the support beam to preclude weightbearing contact between the visual display and the wearer.
 2. Theheadset of claim 1, wherein the visual display is movable between anoperable position adjacent the eyes and a donning position spaced apartfrom the eyes.
 3. The headset of claim 1, further comprising:(a) a leftmount on the left arm and a right mount on the right arm; and (b) a napstrap extending between the spaced mounts to locate a portion of theocciput intermediate the nape strap and the posterior end and toselectively vary the distance between the brow piece and the nap strapin a non-circumferential contact with the head.
 4. The headset of claim1, wherein the left arm, the right arm and the support beam are sized toengage a portion of the head between the arms such that upon a givenslue rate of the head a directly proportional slue rate is imparted tothe headset.
 5. The headset of claim 1, further comprising:(a) aninflatable bladder connected to one of the right arm, the left arm andthe beam to couple the headset to the head.
 6. A headset for locating aneyepiece adjacent to a wearer's eyes, comprising:(a) a head beamextending along the head from a brow piece to a posterior end, the browpiece sized to contact the brow and the posterior end sized to preventthe headset from bearing on the neck; and (b) a pair of rigid armsextending anteriorly from the posterior end to contact the sides of thehead and locate a headset center of gravity along a line extendingbetween the arms.
 7. A headset for engaging a head of a wearer,comprising:(a) a support beam curved to fit the head between a brow ofthe head and a posterior portion of the head, the support beam includinga brow piece for contacting the brow; (b) a rigid arm connected to thesupport beam adjacent the posterior portion of the head to extend towardan anterior portion of the head; and (c) a visor attached to the supportbeam and disposable in an operable position;the support beam and visorselected so that upon orientation of the visor in the operable position,the visor is suspended from the support beam to preclude weight bearingcontact between the visor and the head.
 8. The headset of claim 7,wherein the support beam, brow piece and arm are sized to couple theheadset to the head to accurately translate a slue rate of the head tothe headset.
 9. The headset of claim 7, wherein the visor includes avisual display and is movable between a donning position and theoperable position.
 10. The headset of claim 7, wherein the support beamis sized to extend along the vertex of the head.
 11. A headset forengaging a head of a wearer, comprising:(a) a curved support beam forcontacting the head between a brow piece for contacting the brow and aposterior end the posterior end including a pair of spaced apart mounts;and (b) a nape strap extending between the mounts for contacting thewearer below the occipital protuberance and selectively varying thedistance between the brow piece and the nape strap.
 12. A headset forreleasably engaging a head, comprising:(a) visual display for providinga field of vision; and (b) a brow piece contacting a brow of the head tooperably suspend the visual display and preclude weight beating contactbetween the visual display and the head.
 13. The headset of claim 12,further comprising(a) a support beam connected to the brow piece forcontacting the head.
 14. The headset of claim 13, further comprising:(a)a visor connected to the support beam and positioned to be suspendedfrom the support beam in a non weight bearing contact with the head. 15.The headset of claim 13, further comprising:(a) spaced apart mounts onthe support beam; and (b) a nape strap extending between the spacedapart mounts.
 16. The headset of claim 13, further comprising:(a) soundreproducing means carried by the support beam.